Apparatus for the distillation of wood and production of charcoal.



No. 757,939. PATENTBD APR. 19, 1904.

H. A. MAOKIE. APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF WOOD AND PRODUCTION OF CHARCOAL. N0 MODEL APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 1904.

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A I i Patented April 19, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. MAOKIE, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ELMER E. WOOD, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF WOOD AND PRODUCTION OF CHARCOAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,939, dated April 19, 1904.

A Application filed January 4, 1904. Serial No. 187,657. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY A. MAoKIn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Distil= lation of Wood and Production of Charcoal; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in the distillation of wood and the production of charcoal; and the object of my invention is to produce a simple, cheap, and effectively-working apparatus for this purpose.

With this object in view my invention consists in the construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the figure represents a longitudinal cross-section, partly in elevation, of my improved apparatus.

(i represents a charcoal oven or kiln of any desired type provided with openings Z) 0 near the bottom thereof for the admission of air.

(Z represents the escape-pipe, preferably provided with a fan a to produce a forced draft. Passing through the walls of the oven is a retort f. In the drawing only one retort is shown; but in practice I use a number of them passing through the kiln.

Supports g are arranged inside the kiln to prevent the retort from buckling under the weight. At each end of the retort a removable door it is provided, which is secured to the body of the retort by bolts 1*. The retorts are slightly inclined, so that the less volatile liquid products of distillation may be allowed to flow out through the pipe 2', provided with a valve j, into the receptacle A. The pipe 7: should of course dip below the surface of the liquid in the receptacle k in order to prevent the air from entering the inside of the retort To the upper part of the other end of the retort is connected a discharge-pipe l for the volatile products,which pipe is curved to form a worm m, which passes down through the tank a, which is supplied with a cooling liquid in the ordinary manner.

The worm m discharges into a receptacle 0, whence the distillate is taken and subjected to further treatment, if desired. It often happens that some of the less volatile distillates condense in the pipe'Z. This pipe therefore slopes downwardly and has connected thereto a pipe p for discharging these condensed distillates into a receptacle q. The pipe p must also dip below the surface of the liquid in the receptacle q.

The retorts f are preferably made of iron or steel.

The operation is as follows: The wood or other organic matter which is to be distilled is placed in the retort, the doors closed, and the kiln filled with wood, entirely surrounding the retort, and the kiln is fired in the usual manner for making charcoal. The heat produced by the wood which is carbonizing in the kiln heats and carbonizes the contents of the retort, which are collected, as already described. The vapors drawn off through the pipe (Z by the fan 0 are condensed in the usual manner. This operation is continued until the carbonization of the wood in the kiln and the retort is complete. Then the kiln is closed, sealed, and the combustion extinguished in the usual manner. The advantages of my apparatus are that the contents of the retort are completely carbonized and the byproducts extracted and secured without any expense for fuel. The heat produced by the carbonization of the wood in the kiln is gradual and of low intensity, thereby causing a gradual heating up of the contents of the retort and driving off the oils, acids, &c., in the order of their volatility, thereby giving a complete control of the process of destructive distillation in the retort and saving expense in the further distillation of the products. The heat in the kiln can be kept under perfect control and does not at any time become so intense as to injure the quality of the by-products.

The carbonized wood remaining in the kiln and retort is a superior quality of charcoal which can be sold at a profit, thereby not only saving the expense of fuel for the process of destructive distillation, but actually producing a revenue.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination of a charcoal-kiln, an

inclined retort passing through said kiln, and

means for collecting the products of distillation from said retort, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a kiln, an inclined retort supported in said kiln and passing through the walls thereof, a drain-pipe attached to the lower end of said retort, a discharge-pipe for the lighter products of distillation leading from said retort, and means for condensing said lighter products, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a charcoal-kiln, provided with air-inlets, an inclined retort pass- .ing through the walls of said kiln and proa fan communicating with said dischargepipe, a drainage-pipe leading from the lowest part of said retort, a discharge-pipe leading from the upper part of said retort, a drippipe communicating with said discharge-pipe, and a condensing-tank, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. MACKIE. Witnesses: 7

RUFUS E. FosTER, F. L. RICHARDSON. 

